Dozens of tenants at an apartment building in Ottawa’s Little Italy say they’ve been left scrambling after receiving notice they may be required to vacate by the end of August, due to widespread mould and a pending court decision. The building at 101 Champagne Avenue South has been under court-ordered receivership since February, after its owner Ashcroft Homes Group ran into financial trouble. Now, a buyer is on the table, but the new owner wants vacant possession of all 185 units by August 31 to begin full remediation of the property. One of those tenants is Yaasir Hosenie, who says he’s been living with visible mould in his unit for more than two months, including behind baseboards, in his bathroom and along the bedroom wall. “I sent them photographic evidence of mould in this specific spot in my apartment, but they said they cannot do anything right now,” he said. His unit was among 57 flagged in May following inspections. Later air quality testing confirmed elevated mould spore levels in some of those units and in common spaces like the gym. At the time, management told tenants they were fixing the issue. But on July 23, residents received a new letter, this time warning of what Hosenie describes as a “mass eviction.” “I was not contacted [about remediation], and then what happened is that on July 23, we just received a notice about a mass eviction happening,” he said. The notice outlines a pending court motion, which will be heard Thursday, asking the court to grant the receiver the authority to take the “required steps to have the sheriff provide vacant possession” of the property if tenants refuse to leave voluntarily. “For us, it’s a 39-day notice period,” said tenant Jayendra Kurukulasekara. “It’s incredibly hard to find a decent place at a similar price at such short notice.” “This is coming during a time where you see the rental market hyper inflated and you can’t really find relatively affordable places to live.” He says many of the building’s residents are international students or young professionals, some of whom have already left for the summer. The court is also being asked to approve lease termination agreements, offering tenants two months’ rent and the option to take furniture from their furnished units. However, in signing, tenants must also waive their rights to file future complaints or legal claims. Kurukulasekara says mould is just the tip of the iceberg and things have been falling apart for months. “One of the elevators had broken down and it wasn’t repaired for six to seven months,” he said. “There used to be a front desk person posted at all times essentially until at least 5 p.m. but for the past few months, there hasn’t been.” In a brief statement to CTV News Ottawa, Varsity Communities, which manages the building under the direction of the court-appointed receiver, said: “We recognize that this is a time of uncertainty for tenants and are committed to being a reliable source of information and assistance throughout the process.” The company declined further comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings. Tenants are now organizing with the help of advocacy group ACORN, which says it will be going door to door this week to inform residents of their rights. “They can’t increase rent more than 2.5 per cent, and for me personally, I think that it is a case of renoviction,” said Hosenie. The court hearing is scheduled for Thursday. According to the building’s general manager, formal written notice, including timelines and instructions for vacating, will be issued if the judge approves the receiver’s request. LISTEN: Patricia Boal speaks with apartment tenant Jayendra Kurukulasekara about issues he has faced in the building.
